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Joe Lunardi issues way-too-early NCAA Tournament bracketology for 2026, featuring 13 SEC teams
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Joe Lunardi is ESPN’s leading NCAA Tournament bracketology expert, and he’s already setting his sights on the 2026 men’s hoops season.
The 2025 season just ended earlier this month, with the Florida Gators cutting down the nets in San Antonio. Now that the transfer portal entry window has closed, rosters are starting to round into shape for the upcoming season.
This week, Lunardi posted his first 2026 bracketology projections. The SEC had a record 14 teams make the field last year. What will the league do for an encore?
Well, Lunardi has these 13 SEC basketball squads making the 68-team field in 2026:
- Kentucky — No. 2 seed (Midwest)
- Florida — No. 3 seed (South)
- Tennessee — No. 3 seed (West)
- Auburn — No. 4 seed (Midwest)
- Arkansas — No. 5 seed (West)
- Mizzou — No. 6 seed (Midwest)
- Alabama — No. 6 seed (East)
- Mississippi State — No. 7 seed (South)
- Texas — No. 8 seed (East)
- Vanderbilt — No. 8 seed (West)
- Oklahoma — No. 9 seed (Midwest)
- Georgia — No. 9 seed (South)
- Ole Miss — No. 11 seed (South)
- Texas A&M — First Four Out
Besides Texas A&M being in the First Four Out category, the other 2 SEC teams not to make the field in Lunardi’s early projections are LSU and South Carolina. Both the Tigers and Gamecocks missed the tournament in 2025.
Will these projections prove accurate? Probably not, as a lot will change between now and next March. But this is a good look at where things stand now that the portal season is (mostly) over.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
